The Rise and Decline of Buddhism in India

The book is organized as a broad historical survey of Buddhism in India from its emergence to its decline. It opens with the rise of Buddhism during the Buddha’s lifetime, discussing the political geography of ancient India, the role of contemporary kings, and the early support given by rulers and clans such as the Haryankas, Kosalans, Avantis, Vatsas, Śākyas, Licchavis, Mallas, Koliyas, and others. It then traces the progress of Buddhism before the Mauryas, including the formation of early Buddhist schools and the development of the Saṅgha under successive Magadhan dynasties. The Mauryan period is treated as a major phase of expansion, with special emphasis on Aśoka’s conversion, patronage, missionary activity, and contribution to Buddhist institutions. Subsequent chapters examine the fortunes of Buddhism under the Śuṅgas, Kāṇvas, Sātavāhanas, Indo-Greeks, Indo-Scythians, Guptas, later Guptas, Maukharis, Harṣavardhana, and numerous regional dynasties of northern, eastern, western, central, and southern India. The work also studies Buddhism in India as reported by Hiuen-Tsang in the seventh century, using his observations to evaluate the condition of monasteries, sacred sites, and Buddhist communities. The final chapters analyze the regional decline of Buddhism and its deeper causes, concluding with the argument that Buddhism in India experienced not abrupt extinction, but gradual assimilation into Brahmanical religious culture and progressive disappearance from its original homeland.